• spicystraw@lemmy.world
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    15 hours ago

    Acceleration is a change in velocity. When you press the gas pedal or brake, you feel positive or negative acceleration. When you turn the wheel, you feel sideways acceleration.

    Another analogy is force: F=ma. You feel a force if you accelerate, brake, or turn the wheel; all three induce acceleration as defined in physics.

    • Coreidan@lemmy.world
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      1 day ago

      So something slowing down is acceleration?

      I still don’t get it. Surely the definition of acceleration is a lot more than just a change in velocity.

      But I’m just a dumb ass so don’t listen to me.

      • spicystraw@lemmy.world
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        14 hours ago

        Yeah, I get what you mean. So, “acceleration is how fast an object’s speed changes”. See, hitting the brakes or the gas are both acceleration, physics-wise. But not usually how we talk about it.

        It’s easier to grasp when you’re doing the calculations.

        You’re pretty smart to ask and dig deeper!